[Milsurplus] BC-375E web site (Take Two)

[W7QHO@aol.com]

In a message dated 1/13/03 9:50:52 PM, POWERMWT@aol.com writes:


> The frequency range is similar to the BC-375, so my question remains, did 
> these aircraft normally communicate with the TCS for any type of forward 
> observation or fire control in say the PTO during WWII? 
> 

Mark,

Good question.   Can't say that BC-375 to TCS comms never happened in the PTO 
but safe to say this was not a normal activity.   The 375s were used in heavy 
and medium Air Force bombers which were typically used in a strategic role in 
the PTO.   As such, direction from a forward air controller (FAC) was not 
feasible or required.   In the island campaigns, close air support directed 
by FACs was usually provided by Navy and/or Marine aircraft which did not use 
the BC-375.   The TCS may have been used here but I would guess the Navy and 
Marine FACs used their TBX equipment and probably VHF equipment as well.   
Perhaps someone can comment further on this.

Ground to air communications to facilitate close air support didn't really 
come to maturity in the European theater until after D-day and the main radio 
used for this was the SCR-522, a VHF set originally developed by the British. 
  In the early days in Normandy, ground units actually stole 522s and kluged 
them up into jeeps and tanks so they could communicate with the fighters and 
bombers.   The Signal orps subsequently came up with a ground based SCR-522 
and BC-191 combination for use by the Army FACs, the 522 to talk to the 
planes and the 191, which was the ground based version of the BC-375, to talk 
to other Army ground elements.

Dennis D.   W7QHO
Glendale, CA



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